February’s ride leader sponsor is Melody Wheels who are a multiple return sponsor for the club. They are a wheel building specialists in the same way as one might distinguish a medical specialist from a GP. They do precision wheel building and wheel repairs, and that’s the only thing they do.
The business started with a focus on building wheels that were durable and serviceable (unlike many proprietary wheels), however it has expanded to cover all types of wheels.
Wheel choice has a huge impact on ride quality, so a large part of their work involves helping riders understand the differences between wheels (and wheel components) and to help them find out what fits best with their own performance expectations and aesthetics.
They are internationally recognised as a certified DT Swiss wheel builders and they document all of their work in the same was you might expect an automotive or aircraft technician. They also service and repair a large number of wheels. Be it a wheel true, spoke replacement or hub service, they keep a large range specialist tools and wheel components at hand so they can complete repairs quickly and to the highest standard.
A large number of club members have had wheels built, rebuilt or repaired by Melody Wheels and the feedback has been excellent.
Now located at Unit 7, 4 Pritchard St, O’Connor, they are open 5 days a week and you can find contact information on their Website, Facebook and Instagram.
just to reiterate yesterdays blog post for those that only read this post, or the email newsletter; the sunday hills rides will now start at 6am for both the long and short hills. as such the sunday earlybird ride has been cancelled as it is doubtful you can do a lap in 30 min. we will run like this for the next 5 weeks and then setup a poll to get some feedback. if a permanent change does go ahead, it will just be for the summer months and then we revert back to a 7am start. please let everyone know as i want to minimise the amount of people that turn up at 7am this week. check out the previous post for more details.
ride leader sponsor – there is no ride leader sponsor for february. if you want to promote your business and help out the club, please contact the club via email. one months sponsorship give you a blog post and links back every week via this post and email. what the ride leaders get is a coffee voucher to say thank you for volunteering their time.
summer racing in perth – Summer is rolling on (well, kind of. Not like a non-stop Perth 40deg+ week) and racing is cranking along. See Race@SPR’s info about the ongoing and upcoming race events happening in and around Perth over the Summer in the previous post.
memberships new changes – there has been quite a big change with memberships in 2019. cycling australia have moved to a new system to keep track of memberships and this has allowed a few new benefits as well. firstly there are a few different types of licences. for us the two main ones are ride+ and race. obviously if you want to race, get the race one and if you just want coverage while riding with the club, get the ride+ one. links can be found here. while there is a cheaper ride basic option, it won’t cover you for much if you have an accident on a club ride. there is also a new billing system where you can elect to pay monthly instead of annually. for those that don’t appreciate the big hit for a elite race licence, you can split this across the year. the minimum amount is for 12 months, though, so you still have to pay even if you don’t race. there is also a 7day race licence that replaces the 3 day licence. this can be purchased online and will be needed for event like the tour of margs, or if you just want to try out a crit or two. it is only $38 but i am not sure how many you are allowed to purchase over a year. finally, for those that want to transfer clubs there are two options. firstly, if you current licence has expired, you now have the option to select a new club when renewing. for those that want to join or leave spr for a mid year transfer, then you need to contact cycling australia memberships directly as the clubs cannot provide this service any more.
minimum passing distance survey – The WA Government is working to improve cycle safety and has introduced the Minimum Passing Distance regulation. Cardno has been appointed by the Road Safety Commission to conduct research on this regulation over a two year period to ascertain levels of compliance and any trends in passing behaviour. Please find the survey linked here.
perth arena psp –the psp behind the perth arena was shut a number of years ago due to safety concerns. those concerns have been met but the path is still not open. this forces cyclists and pedestrians to go the long way around the arena and are forced to negotiate the typical obstacles around a public space. please sign the petition linked here to try to get the path open again.
save the date – on the 6th of april this year we will be celebrating our 10 years of being an affiliated club. the group came together in 2008, but officially we became an incorporated, affiliated club in 2009. help us celebrate this occasion. hopefully many “founding members” will be in attendance to see how the club has evolved over the years. more info can be found on the previous post (but not too much more info)
saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning. please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate. this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts. see the previous post for more details.
spr juniors – juniors is getting bigger. more kids, more hill climbs, more pancakes and more bacon. seriously, pancakes with bacon seems to be the food of choice. anyway, summer is here so suns out, sons out (daughters welcome too). under 10’s or over 10’s welcome with parents.
from the ride coordinator –Just in case you’ve got this far (skipped directly to the ride routes) and still not seen the news updates (you should read the blog, it’s interesting), the start time for the sunday hills ride has changed. HILLS RIDES START AT 6:00am.
saturday 2nd february
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
so, for some reason this year the sunday long hills ride has been at the centre of a lot of debate and change. a number of times there has been an unofficial time change that has not been widely communicated (i.e. on the ride routes blog). some days there have been some good reasons for doing this, like really hot days, and other times not so good. what this results in, are people that are not privy to the change turning up at 7am expecting to do the long hills ride, only to find that the majority of the regulars have decided amongst themselves to change the start time. unfortunately, this puts certain people in the unenviable position of having to explain why there is no hills ride as advertised. last week there were only 2 long hills riders that ended up just doing the short hills as they did not feel that it would be safe on their own. one of the reasons we have not had variable ride start times during the year has been a consistency that this affords us for anyone that is not a regular. people that don’t read the blog, or visit from interstate just know that the ride will be at 7am.
so, what are we going to do? just like all good issues in western australia, there will be a trial and a referendum.
starting this week, both the long and short hills ride will start at coode st at 6am. we will run this until the 3rd march (i.e the next 5 sundays). after that time we will run a poll to see if over summer we run at 6am or 7am for both rides, or long at 6am and short at 7am. to account for this, the sunday earlybird ride will cease to exist. it was generally not a well subscribed ride and if anyone did it regularly, i would be surprised.
if it is decided that we move the rides to 6am during the hotter months, it will run from 1st dec to 28th feb. after this point the sun does not rise till after 6am, meaning that half the rides in march would require lights to start.
so, the blog will now show a 6am start, so if there are any regulars that don’t read the blog, please let them know.
get off the road, you will get run over. photo ZW Photography
so there were a few crashes on some of our rides over the past few weeks. on one occasion there were a number of riders that came down separately on the one roundabout. on another occasion a touch of wheels caused by the group slowing dramatically also saw a rider heading over the handle bars. unlike most group/clubs/teams in perth (or australia for that matter) we actually keep stats on any crashes that happen on our rides or races. what we collect this data for is to see if there are any trends in why crashes are happening. i suppose that one of the good insights to this data is that there are not that many accidents that are caused by other vehicles. like the incidents that happened recently, the majority are due to “rider to rider” interaction or “riding to conditions”. when riding in a group situation, everyone must be aware of what is happening around them and, if needed, allow a bit of “wiggle room”. on top of road conditions, weather conditions and traffic conditions, each group contains about 20 unknowns all moving to their own agenda. be aware of others actions and be especially aware of the consequences of your own actions. if you don’t feel safe or confident in a group, then allow a bit more room, or ride at the back. what constitutes a “safe group” is also subjective as some people may find close riding unsafe, but others are used to it. if someone is struggling in a roll through, leave a gap and let them in. if they expend all their energy trying to make it to the front, then just die, the concertina affect will cause chaos further down the group. if the road seems a little damp, then maybe don’t hit that corner at speed. if the group is approaching a round-about, don’t barrel through with your head down, but check for vehicles and let others know of any danger. riding alone is boring and monotonous, but we need to make sure that group riding is performed in a way that allows all of us to get home with all our skin still attached. look after each other and thank your ride leader for giving up their own time to look after you.
ride leader sponsor –The ride leader sponsor for January is Babylon Pump & Power LTD. They provide specialist equipment rental, diesel rebuild/maintenance and project support to the resources sector.
memberships – all 2018 race memberships expired at the end of the year. we dropped from 403 members to our current level of 270. it is important to renew your membership even if you are not intending to race during the first month or so of 2019. no membership means no insurance and i am sure that you will still be riding your bike even if you aren’t racing. if you have decided not to race anymore, a recreational membership will give you insurance coverage during your training rides. if you want to transfer to spr from another club, send and email to the admin address and i can action it electronically. check out the previous post for more info and links.
subaru wangara – Until 31st January @Subaru Wangara is offering our club $500 for any new or used car purchased by one of our members. If you’re in the market for a car this is a great opportunity to support our club. You’ll need to mention the Club and provide your membership details. For more details get in touch with Michael Tomeo at Subaru Wangara”
minimum passing distance survey – The WA Government is working to improve cycle safety and has introduced the Minimum Passing Distance regulation. Cardno has been appointed by the Road Safety Commission to conduct research on this regulation over a two year period to ascertain levels of compliance and any trends in passing behaviour. Please find the survey linked here.
perth arena psp – the psp behind the perth arena was shut a number of years ago due to safety concerns. those concerns have been met but the path is still not open. this forces cyclists and pedestrians to go the long way around the arena and are forced to negotiate the typical obstacles around a public space. please sign the petition linked here to try to get the path open again.
save the date – on the 6th of april this year we will be celebrating our 10 years of being an affiliated club. the group came together in 2008, but officially we became an incorporated, affiliated club in 2009. help us celebrate this occasion. hopefully many “founding members” will be in attendance to see how the club has evolved over the years. more info can be found on the previous post (but not too much more info)
summer sunday times – there was a bit of confusion over the christmas period with the start times of the sunday long hills ride. due to a number of reasons, some earlier rides were organised on a forum that was not accessible to everyone that normally rides on sunday. as such there were a couple of occasions where people turned up at 7am for the long hills only to discover that it had left earlier. the start time over summer of the sunday rides will be discussed at the next committee meeting and the outcome will be publicised for all to see. for the time being, expect that both the long and short hills to leave at the normal 7am timeslot.
saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning. please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate. this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts. see the previous post for more details.
spr juniors – juniors is getting bigger. more kids, more hill climbs, more pancakes and more bacon. seriously, pancakes with bacon seems to be the food of choice. anyway, summer is coming so suns out, sons out (daughters welcome too). under 10’s or over 10’s welcome with parents.
from the ride coordinator –There is a triathlon on Sat morning at Point Walter – Bicton. There are road closures in place for the cycle leg with Point Walter Rd, Honour Ave, Carroll Dr and Burke Dr all closed. This will impact the EBR as the triathlon starts at 6:15. EBR route will need to continue on Preston Point Rd to Canning Hwy and continue regular route from there.
The Cottesloe foreshore will likely be busy on Mon morning public holiday. All groups are required to proceed at a slow pace with caution for pedestrians at road crossings.
saturday 26th january – aussie day
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
with a lot of rouleurs in radelaide, i set them a challenge to get a pic for the blog. firstly you had to be in spr kit, and the bigger the celeb the better. mr stage 9 is a pretty big name and it almost seems that there was a husband and wife challenge to snap a picture with him. unfortunately, the girls pic from sam was via instagram which crops everything to square, while dr vp presented his in the correct landscape format. the flying mo got himself a very professional photo from zac williams, but it seems that the cycling celebs were scared off by the combination of lycra and mo. as the racing heats up, i am hoping that someone can get a pic with sagan before the end of the tour.
ride leader sponsor –The ride leader sponsor for January is Babylon Pump & Power LTD. They provide specialist equipment rental, diesel rebuild/maintenance and project support to the resources sector.
memberships – all 2018 race memberships expired at the end of the year. we dropped from 403 members to our current level of 270. it is important to renew your membership even if you are not intending to race during the first month or so of 2019. no membership means no insurance and i am sure that you will still be riding your bike even if you aren’t racing. if you have decided not to race anymore, a recreational membership will give you insurance coverage during your training rides. if you want to transfer to spr from another club, send and email to the admin address and i can action it electronically. check out the previous post for more info and links.
subaru wangara – Until 31st January @Subaru Wangara is offering our club $500 for any new or used car purchased by one of our members. If you’re in the market for a car this is a great opportunity to support our club. You’ll need to mention the Club and provide your membership details. For more details get in touch with Michael Tomeo at Subaru Wangara”
The Gang chilling over yummy food n drinks
save the date – on the 6th of april this year we will be celebrating our 10 years of being an affiliated club. the group came together in 2008, but officially we became an incorporated, affiliated club in 2009. help us celebrate this occasion. hopefully many “founding members” will be in attendance to see how the club has evolved over the years. more info can be found on the previous post (but not too much more info)
summer sunday times – there was a bit of confusion over the christmas period with the start times of the sunday long hills ride. due to a number of reasons, some earlier rides were organised on a forum that was not accessible to everyone that normally rides on sunday. as such there were a couple of occasions where people turned up at 7am for the long hills only to discover that it had left earlier. the start time over summer of the sunday rides will be discussed at the next committee meeting and the outcome will be publicised for all to see. for the time being, expect that both the long and short hills to leave at the normal 7am timeslot.
saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning. please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate. this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts. see the previous post for more details.
spr juniors – juniors is getting bigger. more kids, more hill climbs, more pancakes and more bacon. seriously, pancakes with bacon seems to be the food of choice. anyway, summer is coming so suns out, sons out (daughters welcome too). under 10’s or over 10’s welcome with parents.
from the ride coordinator – Perth’s weather is also feeling left out of the Radelaide party and is trying to catch up on the weekend with 37 & 40 degree days.
Cooling ideas from the TDU – from the racers: ice vests before you start, stockings of ice cubes down the back of your jersey; from the volunteers: micro scarves soaked in ice water (or put in freezer); or from Team Williams, ride along the coast, make use of showers …
saturday 19th january
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
on holidays in country victoria and my home town is quite typical of towns around the area. hamilton has a population of about 10k and as with many towns back in the day, they all had a velodrome. these weren’t the indoor, classy, siberian pine wooden tracks, they were outdoor, not steep and lucky to be sealed. many have fallen into disrepair and have suffered from lack of use. this track, however, has been sealed with hotmix and once hosted the national outdoor track championships. it is part of that history of cycling where it’s popularity in the past meant that facilities were part of the expansion of local towns.
ride leader sponsor –The ride leader sponsor for January is Babylon Pump & Power LTD. They provide specialist equipment rental, diesel rebuild/maintenance and project support to the resources sector.
memberships – all 2018 race memberships expired at the end of the year. we dropped from 403 members to our current level of 270. it is important to renew your membership even if you are not intending to race during the first month or so of 2019. no membership means no insurance and i am sure that you will still be riding your bike even if you aren’t racing. if you have decided not to race anymore, a recreational membership will give you insurance coverage during your training rides. if you want to transfer to spr from another club, send and email to the admin address and i can action it electronically. check out the previous post for more info and links.
subaru wangara – Until 31st January @Subaru Wangara is offering our club $500 for any new or used car purchased by one of our members. If you’re in the market for a car this is a great opportunity to support our club. You’ll need to mention the Club and provide your membership details. For more details get in touch with Michael Tomeo at Subaru Wangara”
The Gang chilling over yummy food n drinks
save the date – on the 6th of april this year we will be celebrating our 10 years of being an affiliated club. the group came together in 2008, but officially we became an incorporated, affiliated club in 2009. help us celebrate this occasion. hopefully many “founding members” will be in attendance to see how the club has evolved over the years. more info can be found on the previous post (but not too much more info)
summer sunday times – there was a bit of confusion over the christmas period with the start times of the sunday long hills ride. due to a number of reasons, some earlier rides were organised on a forum that was not accessible to everyone that normally rides on sunday. as such there were a couple of occasions where people turned up at 7am for the long hills only to discover that it had left earlier. the start time over summer of the sunday rides will be discussed at the next committee meeting and the outcome will be publicised for all to see. for the time being, expect that both the long and short hills to leave at the normal 7am timeslot.
saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning. please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate. this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts. see the previous post for more details.
spr juniors – juniors is getting bigger. more kids, more hill climbs, more pancakes and more bacon. seriously, pancakes with bacon seems to be the food of choice. anyway, summer is coming so suns out, sons out (daughters welcome too). under 10’s or over 10’s welcome with parents.
from the ride coordinator – #friebyfortdu
saturday 12th january
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
so we are into the first week of our new years resolutions. who has broken theirs already??? unofficially, mine was an extension of how i finished 2018. this revolved around how i viewed my own cycling and how i was going to operate in 2019. for me, i was suffering from race burn-out midway through 2018 after training for pretty much the last few years. i still wanted to ride my bike, but i didn’t want to train. i have a powermeter, but i don’t want an ftp. i wanted to push 400 watts, but only to stay on the group, not because i was required to do 1 min on, 1 min off. i have cancelled training peaks premium, strava premium and zwift. i want to ride with my kids. i want to sleep in if i felt like it (without feeling guilty). at the moment i am on holidays and i didn’t bring my powermeter over for the vic-bike. no power and no cadence – it looks wrong (but still feels right). this year my resolution is to enjoy it and be realistic.
ride leader sponsor –The ride leader sponsor for January is Babylon Pump & Power LTD. They provide specialist equipment rental, diesel rebuild/maintenance and project support to the resources sector.
memberships – all 2018 race memberships expired at the end of the year. we dropped from 403 members to our current level of 270. it is important to renew your membership even if you are not intending to race during the first month or so of 2019. no membership means no insurance and i am sure that you will still be riding your bike even if you aren’t racing. if you have decided not to race anymore, a recreational membership will give you insurance coverage during your training rides. if you want to transfer to spr from another club, send and email to the admin address and i can action it electronically. check out the previous post for more info and links.
The Gang chilling over yummy food n drinks
save the date – on the 6th of april this year we will be celebrating our 10 years of being an affiliated club. the group came together in 2008, but officially we became an incorporated, affiliated club in 2009. help us celebrate this occasion. hopefully many “founding members” will be in attendance to see how the club has evolved over the years. more info can be found on the previous post (but not too much more info)
summer sunday times – there was a bit of confusion over the christmas period with the start times of the sunday long hills ride. due to a number of reasons, some earlier rides were organised on a forum that was not accessible to everyone that normally rides on sunday. as such there were a couple of occasions where people turned up at 7am for the long hills only to discover that it had left earlier. the start time over summer of the sunday rides will be discussed at the next committee meeting and the outcome will be publicised for all to see. for the time being, expect that both the long and short hills to leave at the normal 7am timeslot.
saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning. please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate. this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts. see the previous post for more details.
spr junior juniors – this will be for the under 10’s as last week the outschoorn kids headed into kings park before finishing at dome with everyone else. they will meet at the coode st carpark at 7am with every other group and will follow a similar route to kings park as the “juniors fast 1”. the number of loops/etc will depend on who is in attendance. as with all our junior rides, a parent or guardian needs to be in attendance.
spr juniors – juniors is getting bigger. more kids, more hill climbs, more pancakes and more bacon. seriously, pancakes with bacon seems to be the food of choice. anyway, summer is coming so suns out, sons out (daughters welcome too).
from the ride coordinator – There were 3 separate crashes, from 3 different SPR groups this morning, all at the same location. Whatever the ride, always ride to the conditions, and remember you’re in a group ride. Light rain in summer in Perth means greasy roads, water on a corner is a hazard at all times of the year. Slow down, make sure everyone in the group knows there is an issue. In all SPR rides, Safety is paramount, communication and an appropriate level of caution is the key to this. And always remember that your decisions (good and bad) can impact others in the group the same way theirs can impact you.
saturday 5th january
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
the sun rises after the night owl – photo by finley vine
as the sun sets on the last post of the year, it is time to reflect on exactly what we have here. a year ago i was making tentative plans to leave perth. 2017 was hands down my worst year ever of my 20+ years with the company and i was ready to cash out. i was luckily thrown a lifeline and this year has been excellent even with the extra travel involved. however, it is worth thinking about the “what ifs” and how the club would fair. the last few years we have had a good measure of stability within the organisation and running of the club. people like jon hanson and greg murray who worked tirelessly to bring together the beverely event and spr tomr teams. behind the scenes, tim hopkins did lots of work to organise and reorganise the new bike racks, through prototyping and delivery. but even more than that, i know that there are people within the club that share similar values to me who will take up the mantle if i left. these are the people that i rely on heavily when we make some of the more difficult decisions within the club. people like daniel harvey, andrew ballam, rob ramsden and julian johnson. people that have been part of the committee for a number of years and understand the direction that we want to take the club in the future. i suppose the bottom line is that it is not an “if” but “when” we do leave perth, i can see spr having future that extends well past my tenure.
ride leader sponsor –the ride leader sponsor for December is Get Your Visa a migration agency based in Perth since 2012. Whether you are looking at an employee to sponsor, or having a relative joining you or any migration matters, Get Your Visa is there to help.
social committee and race awards 2018 – as it tradition within the club, we gave out our annual awards last weekend at the club xmas breakfast. it is important for us as a club to recognise those that have contributed to the what makes the club what it is – a group of people with a shared interest, but a multitude of experiences. a complete list of winners and nominations can be found on the previous post.
memberships – all race memberships will expire at the end of the year (i.e. in 4 days time). it is important to renew your membership even if you are not intending to race during the first month or so of 2019. no membership means no insurance and i am sure that you will still be riding your bike even if you aren’t racing. if you have decided not to race anymore, a recreational membership will give you insurance coverage during your training rides. if you want to transfer to spr from another club, send and email to the admin address and i can action it electronically. check out the previous post for more info and links.
save the date – on the 6th of april next year we will be celebrating our 10 years of being an affiliated club. the group came together in 2008, but officially we became an incorporated, affiliated club in 2009. help us celebrate this occasion. hopefully many “founding members” will be in attendance to see how the club has evolved over the years.
saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning. please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate. this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts. see the previous post for more details.
spr junior juniors – after a bit of a trial last week, we will be starting our junior juniors (also known as – juniors fast 2). this will be for the under 10’s as last week the outschoorn kids headed into kings park before finishing at dome with everyone else. they will meet at the coode st carpark at 7am with every other group and will follow a similar route to kings park as the “juniors fast 1”. the number of loops/etc will depend on who is in attendance. as with all our junior rides, a parent or guardian needs to be in attendance.
spr juniors – juniors is getting bigger. more kids, more hill climbs, more pancakes and more bacon. seriously, pancakes with bacon seems to be the food of choice. anyway, summer is coming so suns out, sons out (daughters welcome too).
from the ride coordinator – Good luck to anyone trying to complete the Rapha 500 this week. Wishing you all a Happy New Year for 2019.
saturday 29th december
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
finishing the year on a high note with the delivery of 10 brand new bike racks for our saturday rides. we still have too many bikes, but at least those on the racks will be more secure. thank you very much to babylon pump and power for manufacturing the racks and even adding a little branding for the club.
ride leader sponsor –the ride leader sponsor for December is Get Your Visa a migration agency based in Perth since 2012. Whether you are looking at an employee to sponsor, or having a relative joining you or any migration matters, Get Your Visa is there to help.
shared path extension freo line – there is a group that is trying to get the department of transport to extend the bike lane along the freo line from grant st to freo itself. although we don’t use paths for our training rides, many of us commute and paths like this are important to ensure that we get to our destination safely. please take the time to fill in the survey so that more pressure is applied to get these things done (it takes about 30 sec)
anorexic santa
christmas club ride –our end of year breakfast and awards will be held this saturday 22nd, the last saturday ride before christmas. held at Dome after the main ride, there will be an end of year wrap up of stories and awards along with the usual buffet breakfast ($15 cash only) from Dome. this is our dress up ride, so wear something christmassy or decorate your bike. there is an award for the best costume or bike.
spreading goodwill – the vice president started a new tradition on the xmas ride last year. bring along a pack of minties and hand them out to any car drivers that we stop next to at the traffic lights. showing goodwill to other road users is a good way to get drivers to actually see us as people. i encourage as many of you as possible to bring a bag of minties and had them out.
Team SPR
save the date – on the 6th of april next year we will be celebrating our 10 years of being an affiliated club. the group came together in 2008, but officially we became an incorporated, affiliated club in 2009. help us celebrate this occasion. hopefully many “founding members” will be in attendance to see how the club has evolved over the years.
saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning. please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate. this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts. see the previous post for more details.
spr junior juniors – after a bit of a trial last week, we will be starting our junior juniors (also known as – juniors fast 2). this will be for the under 10’s as last week the outschoorn kids headed into kings park before finishing at dome with everyone else. they will meet at the coode st carpark at 7am with every other group and will follow a similar route to kings park as the “juniors fast 1”. the number of loops/etc will depend on who is in attendance. as with all our junior rides, a parent or guardian needs to be in attendance.
spr juniors – juniors is getting bigger. more kids, more hill climbs, more pancakes and more bacon. seriously, pancakes with bacon seems to be the food of choice. anyway, summer is coming so suns out, sons out (daughters welcome too).
xmas week rides – so there are a number of non-standard rides coming up this week, so make sure you have a look at the listing below. xmas day is tuesday and as per tradition, mr bonner will be taking a very low key ride out for those that are not required to be supervising kids unwrapping gifts. boxing day is wednesday, but being a public holiday, we will do the usual tues route as earlybird so that people can get a river lap in rather than stock rd repeats. thursday is a special day for those that don’t need to go back to work and mr bonner will again be running the hadrill hundred. there are also a couple of other rides on. i will be attempting the boxing day test (4 laps of the river) starting with the night owl at 3:45am. and at some stage during the week, dean roser will be hitting a 300km ride for those interested.
from the ride coordinator – Sat is going to be a scorcher. Consider your Christmas outfit accordingly, and don’t forget extra fluids and sunscreen. And wishing you all a Merry Christmas.
saturday 22nd december
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
so there was an accident this morning during the earlybird ride. single rider, no vehicles involved, bad enough that an ambulance was called. we often talk about the risks of running red lights and the dangers involved when you are trying to get back on a group. it is not only red lights where that danger exists. as many of you know, the picture above is the short cut behind the port beach road sprint. if you have been dropped, you can take this shortcut and often get back on before the stirling bridge. the road was changed a few years ago to make it bikes only that can access that road from the northern end. the bike lane is, however, narrow and has quite a sharp bend in it. when you are dropped you are often riding much harder than you will like. when that happens, you may misjudge things like speed and handling. sometimes that combinations means that we have to call an ambulance. always ride within your limits. always be aware of the situation around you, whether it is other vehicles or the condition of the road you are on. what surprised me more were how many other bikes still came in hot to that corner even when we were indicating to them to slow down. they slowed pretty quick when they realised that they would head on with an ambulance.
ride leader sponsor –the ride leader sponsor for December is Get Your Visa a migration agency based in Perth since 2012. Whether you are looking at an employee to sponsor, or having a relative joining you or any migration matters, Get Your Visa is there to help.
summer criteriums – summer means a return to short course racing and this weekend there are a number of events that you can choose. peel and west coast masters both have a crit on as does rccc at bayswater. to try to encourage more women’s participation, our own davina summers will be riding as a mentor in the women’s c/d race at bayswater. if you are looking at giving crit racing a go, this is a great opportunity to get active coaching during a race. a short circuit means that you are never far from the action and if you do get dropped from the group, it is not like you have to ride 100kms on your own. check out the links above for each race.
shared path extension freo line – there is a group that is trying to get the department of transport to extend the bike lane along teh freo line from grant st to freo itself. although we don’t use paths for our training rides, many of us commute and paths like this are important to ensure that we get to our destination safely. please take the time to fill in the survey so that more pressure is applied to get these things done (it takes about 30 sec)
spr christmas drinks – our christmas drinks this year will be held this sunday 16th december at the Empire bar in Rivervale. this is an “out of lycra” event that you can bring your partner to without them getting embarrassed because you are still in cycling gear. more info on the previous post where you can order tickets.
christmas club ride –our end of year breakfast and awards will be held (as usual) on the last saturday before christmas. this year it is pretty close as it will be on the 22nd december. held at Dome after the main ride, there will be an end of year wrap up of stories and awards along with the usual buffet breakfast from Dome.
spr award nominations – Each year SPR recognise some of the cyclists and participants who help to support the club or inspire others with their cycling achievements. There are multiple awards this year, four of which will be based on the information provided in this survey and one on the SPR Facebook page. Presentations of the awards will take place at the Christmas breakfast on Saturday 22 December 2018. There will also be a prize awarded at the breakfast for the best dressed rider/bike on the Christmas ride, so don’t forget to dress up your bike and yourself. Other awards will also be given at the Christmas breakfast. You can nominate up to two people for each award. If you could provide some background as to why the person is being nominated, even if they are not the final award recipient, they will still have the opportunity to read the collated comments. Note this survey is fully anonymous. This survey will be open until midnight Wednesday 19 December 2018. Thank you for participating in our survey. Your feedback is important.
save the date – on the 6th of april next year we will be celebrating our 10 years of being an affiliated club. the group came together in 2008, but officially we became an incorporated, affiliated club in 2009. help us celebrate this occasion. hopefully many “founding members” will be in attendance to see how the club has evolved over the years.
saturday start locations – we have revamped the group start locations on saturday morning. please have a look at the map so you know where your group will congregate. this makes it easier for ride leaders to give you a briefing before the ride starts. see the previous post for more details.
spr junior juniors – after a bit of a trial last week, we will be starting our junior juniors (also known as – juniors fast 2). this will be for the under 10’s as last week the outschoorn kids headed into kings park before finishing at dome with everyone else. they will meet at the coode st carpark at 7am with every other group and will follow a similar route to kings park as the “juniors fast 1”. the number of loops/etc will depend on who is in attendance. as with all our junior rides, a parent or guardian needs to be in attendance.
spr juniors – juniors is getting bigger. more kids, more hill climbs, more pancakes and more bacon. seriously, pancakes with bacon seems to be the food of choice. anyway, summer is coming so suns out, sons out (daughters welcome too).
from the ride coordinator – It’s well and truly into the silly season. The number of inattentive drivers is likely to be higher than normal (which is bad enough), driving after drinking at work christmas parties, rushing to get all their shopping done, whatever the reason, it can make it more hazardous out on the road. This time last year I watched a drunk driver bounce his car off the concrete barriers in the Tonkin Hwy roadworks and still keep on driving. Keep safe as a cyclist, pay attention as a motorist.
saturday 15th december
ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am
February’s ride leader sponsor is Melody Wheels who are a multiple return sponsor for the club. They are a wheel building specialists in the same way as one might distinguish a medical specialist from a GP. They do precision wheel building and wheel repairs, and that’s the only thing they do.
Wheel choice has a huge impact on ride quality, so a large part of their work involves helping riders understand the differences between wheels (and wheel components) and to help them find out what fits best with their own performance expectations and aesthetics.
their work in the same was you might expect an automotive or aircraft technician. They also service and repair a large number of wheels. Be it a wheel true, spoke replacement or hub service, they keep a large range specialist tools and wheel components at hand so they can complete repairs quickly and to the highest standard.
